• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 24 Oct 2005 [PDF]
• II MEF MARINE KILLED IN ACTION
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Navy Casualty
• DoD Identifies Marine Corps Casualty

• Bombs Kill 17 In Central Baghdad VOA 24 Oct 2005 -- Iraqi officials say 17 people were killed when three car bombs went off near Baghdad hotels that house foreign journalists.
• Hotels in Baghdad Rocked by Rockets, Car Bombs AFPS 24 Oct 2005 -- A combination of rockets and car bombs exploded near the outer walls of the Palestine and Sheraton hotels in downtown Baghdad today, military officials reported.
• Coalition Raids Find Car Bombs; U.S. Marine Killed in Ramadi AFPS 24 Oct 2005 -- Coalition raids conducted today in western Iraq produced two car bombs and four suspects, U.S. officials said.
• Terrorists detained and VBIEDs destroyed in Husaybah MNF-I 24 Oct 2005 -- Coalition forces find two car bombs and detained four suspected terrorists during raids in Husaybah Oct. 24.
• Attack Kills Two Iraqi Police REF/RL 24 Oct 2005 -- Police say a suicide car bomber today killed two police officers in an attack on a police patrol in Baghdad.
• Detainee dies at Camp Bucca MNF-I 24 Oct 2005 -- A 73-year-old male security detainee died Oct. 23 of natural causes at Camp Bucca.
• Stryker Brigade unearths another large weapons cache near Rawah MNF-I 24 Oct 2005 -- Soldiers from 4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment (172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team) seized a large weapons cache during a search operations in the Rawah area, near the Euphrates River, Oct. 23.
• Explosions at Baghdad hotels, Soldiers and Iraqi forces secure area MNF-I 24 Oct 2005 -- A combination of rockets and car bombs exploded near the outer walls of the Palestine and Sheraton hotels in downtown Baghdad, early evening of Oct. 24.
• Car bomb attacks fail; Soldier fires on cement truck MNF-I 24 Oct 2005 -- Three car bombs detonated near the Palestine and Sheraton hotels in central Baghdad early Oct. 24.

• Afghan President Meets Pakistani Counterpart RFE/RL 24 Oct 2005 -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai met today with his Pakistani counterpart Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad
• Afghan Officials Certify Provisional Vote Results REF/RL 24 Oct 2005 -- Afghanistan's Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB) announced on 23 October that all the provisional results from the country's 18 September legislative elections have been published and certified by the electoral commission.

• Transcript: News Briefing with Rear Adm. Michael LeFever 24 Oct 2005 -- Presenter: Commander, U.S. Disaster Assistance Center, Rear Adm. Michael LeFever
• Pakistan Relief Effort Must Be Augmented Quickly, Admiral Says Washington File 24 Oct 2005 -- The U.S. military is bringing a tremendous capability to earthquake relief efforts in Pakistan, a senior officer says, but the long-term rehabilitation and reconstruction effort there probably will require international support for years.
• Pakistan Relief Effort to Top 1,000 U.S. Troops AFPS 24 Oct 2005 -- More than 1,000 U.S. servicemembers will soon be assisting earthquake relief efforts in Pakistan, a senior U.S. officer told Pentagon reporters here today.
• 11 more US helicopters to join Pakistan relief operations: Centcom chief IRNA 24 Oct 2005 -- Chairman of US Central Command Gen. John Abizaid announced on Sunday that 11 more US helicopters will soon join Pakistan relief operations.

• Airmen in place for Hurricane Wilma relief AFPN 24 Oct 2005 -- As Hurricane Wilma rips through south Florida, Airmen from 1st Air Force are already in place today to help storm victims.
• National Guard Mobilized, Alerted for Hurricane Wilma AFPS 24 Oct 2005 -- More than 3,000 Florida National Guard soldiers and airmen have been mobilized and 3,000 more are on alert, Gov. Jeb Bush said today as Hurricane Wilma's eye was finishing its rapid journey across the southern part of the Florida peninsula.
• Convoys roll behind Hurricane Wilma Army News 24 Oct 2005 -- As Hurricane Wilma hit southwestern Florida this morning, more than 3,000 National Guard members were on state active duty with another 3,000 on high alert.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Introductory flight training undergoing changes AFPN 24 Oct 2005 -- The introductory flight training program that prepares pilot candidates for specialized undergraduate pilot training will decrease from 50 to 25 hours next fall.
• Davis-Monthan getting combined air operations center AFPN 24 Oct 2005 -- The Air Force broke ground on a new combined air operations center here.
• VAQ-139 First EA-6B Squadron to Utilize ICAP III Upgrade Navy NewsStand 24 Oct 2005 -- The "Cougars" of VAQ-139 became the first EA-6B "Prowler" squadron to deploy at sea with the Improved Capability (ICAP) III system this summer.
• USS Ronald Reagan, Carrier Strike Group 7 Begin COMPTUEX Navy NewsStand 24 Oct 2005 -- The officers and crew of USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), Commander, Carrier Strike Group (COMCARSTRKGRU) 7 and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 14 departed San Diego Oct. 17 and began their Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX), a major requirement for the carrier strike group's certification as ready for deployment.
• Forward Deployed Sailors, Marines Begin PHIBLEX 06 Navy NewsStand 24 Oct 2005 -- Sailors and Marines from the Forward Deployed Amphibious Ready Group and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) arrived at Republic of the Philippines Oct. 22 to begin Amphibious Landing Exercise (PHIBLEX) 06.
• Pearl Harbor Makes Second Relief Delivery to Pakistan Navy NewsStand 24 Oct 2005 -- Karachi welcomed the return of USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52) Oct. 24 as it pulled into the port city for the second time this week, carrying 140 tons of relief supplies destined for the earthquake-devastated region of northern Pakistan.
• McClusky Makes Second Significant Drug Bust Navy NewsStand 24 Oct 2005 -- While patrolling in the Eastern Pacific in October, USS McClusky (FFG 41), with its embarked helicopter and U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment, completed a second major drug interdiction.
• Enterprise Completes Flight Deck Certification Navy NewsStand 24 Oct 2005 -- USS Enterprise's (CVN 65) Air Department completed flight deck certification Oct. 19.
• Oscar Austin's Damage Control Team Provides Training to Bahraini Ship Navy NewsStand 24 Oct 2005 -- USS Oscar Austin's (DDG 79) Damage Control Training Team and senior members from the ship's Engineering Repair Division embarked the Bahraini Ship RBNS Sabha, a former Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate, Oct. 9 to discuss the procedures, organization, and importance of damage control at Bahrain's Naval Station.

• Romania, United States Nearing Agreement on Military Bases Washington File 24 Oct 2005 -- The United States and Romania expect to reach an agreement "very soon" to set up American military facilities on or near the Black Sea, U.S. National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley said October 23 in Bucharest, Romania.
• Romania Says Agreement Near On U.S. Military Base REF/RL 24 Oct 2005 -- Romanian President Traiann Basescu says negotiations for a U.S. military base in his country are nearly finished.

• Vilnius Conference To Discuss Ukraine Military REF/RL 24 Oct 2005 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld joins European colleagues today to examine how they can help Ukraine overhaul its oversized military -- a key condition Kyiv must fulfill if it is to join the NATO alliance.

• State Department Briefing, October 24 Washington File 24 Oct 2005 -- Iraq/bombings in Baghdad, Iraq/election update, Syria/Lebanon, Mehlis report, Netherlands/Rice's meeting with Foreign Minister Bot
• White House Briefing, October 24 Washington File 24 Oct 2005 -- Bush/Cabinet meeting, Hurricane Wilma, Middle East, leak investigation, White House agenda/priorities, Harriet Miers nomination, Mehlis report, economy, tax reform, Federal Reserve, border patrol, Syria, North Korea, India

Defense Industry

• BAE Systems IAAPS program defeats objective tank-fired threats on-the-move under Tardec survivability program BAE Systems 24 Oct 2005 -- BAE Systems, under the U.S. Armys Tank and Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Centre (TARDEC) survivability program, has achieved new milestones in the Integrated Army Active Protection System (IAAPS) program.
• BAE Systems Demonstrates Multi-Ammunition Softkill System Aboard U.S. Army Vessel BAE Systems 24 Oct 2005 -- AUSTIN, Texas -- BAE Systems, supported by Rheinmetall Waffe Munition, successfully demonstrated the Multi-Ammunition Softkill System (MASS) shipboard decoy launcher system aboard the U.S. Army Theater Support Vessel Spearhead (TSV-1X).
• The NH90 ends French Army Operational Engineering Trials with Flying Colors EADS 24 Oct 2005 -- The trials team of pilots Jean Colin (Gamstat) and Jean-Michel Feydey (CEV), flight test engineer Denis Petitpas (CEV), flight engineer Dominique Uhring (Gamstat), and systems officer François Maches (Gamstat) have logged 13 flight hours.
• Spanish Army Awards General Dynamics Santa Bárbara Sistemas €181 Million Contract for Howitzers General Dynamics 24 Oct 2005 -- General Dynamics Santa Bárbara Sistemas has signed an eight-year, €181 million (US $216.2 million) contract to supply the Spanish Army with a total of 70 155/52 APU SBT howitzers. General Dynamics Santa Bárbara Sistemas is a subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).
• Northrop Grumman Announces Mobile, Ala., as Site for KC-30 Tanker Production Center Northrop Grumman 24 Oct 2005 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) announced today the selection of Mobile, Ala., as the site of its KC-30 Production Center. The company declared its intentions last month to compete for the U.S. Air Force's next-generation air refueling tanker program.
• Northrop Grumman Integrating, Fielding Counter-Mortar Capability Northrop Grumman 24 Oct 2005 -- The U.S. Army has selected Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) as the prime contractor for the Counter-Rocket, Artillery, Mortar (C-RAM) Integration and Fielding contract. C-RAM will help protect U.S. and coalition troops against mortars and rockets fired by insurgents.
• Northrop Grumman Wins German Navy Radar Contract Northrop Grumman 24 Oct 2005 -- Oct. 24, 2005 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been selected to retrofit new-generation navigation radars on more than 100 German Navy warships.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL AND THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT United Nations 24 Oct 2005
• UN Security Council Backs Kosovo Status Talks VOA 24 Oct 2005 -- The U.N. Security Council has endorsed Secretary-General Kofi Annan's decision to begin talks on the sensitive issue of the future of Kosovo.
• Council endorses start of status talks on Kosovo, top UN envoy calls this 'historic' UN News Centre 24 Oct 2005 -- The Security Council today endorsed the start of talks on the future status of ethnically-divided Kosovo, with the United Nations administrator of the Serbian province, which the world body has run for the past six years, calling it a very historic day.
• Kosovo: UN Envoy Recommends Start Of Final Status Talks RFE/RL 24 Oct 2005 -- A UN envoy is recommending that the Security Council approve final status talks on Kosovo, warning any further delay would cause problems for the province
• UN: Security Council Deciding Whether To Start Talks On Kosovo's Future RFE/RL 24 Oct 2005 -- The United Nations Security Council is due today to decide whether to start talks on the future of Kosovo

• Eritrea: UN peacekeepers face land restrictions UN News Centre 24 Oct 2005 -- United Nations peacekeepers monitoring the Eritrean-Ethiopian border, already subject to a flight ban by Eritrea, now face restrictions on their land movements there as well, a UN spokesman said today.
• Israeli Troops Kill Senior Palestinian Militant in West Bank VOA 24 Oct 2005 -- Palestinian militants have fired rockets at Israel after Israeli troops killed a senior Islamic Jihad commander.
• Alleged Mastermind of Rwandan Genocide Testifies at War Crimes Court VOA 24 Oct 2005 -- The man accused of masterminding Rwanda's 1994 genocide says the accusation a malicious attempt to destroy his name.
• SUDAN: Kiir names southern cabinet IRIN 24 Oct 2005 -- The president of the new government of southern Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit, announced on Sunday the formation of the first autonomous southern cabinet since the 9 January signing of a peace agreement between the northern government and the southern Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A).
• GUINEA: Dozens arrested after ethnic clashes in south-east IRIN 24 Oct 2005 -- More than 50 people were in custody on Monday following ethnic clashes in the troubled Forest Region of Guinea, an officer involved in the operation said.
• COTE D IVOIRE: Rebels determined to get prime minister job IRIN 24 Oct 2005 -- With a week to go before Cote d'Ivoire faces a new charged deadline in its simmering three-year conflict, rebel leader Guillaume Soro said on Monday that his side would not budge an inch unless they could fill the prime minister's chair.
• Palestinian Authority Plans to Disarm Militants VOA 24 Oct 2005 -- The Palestinian Authority says it will immediately begin disarming members of the al-Aksa Martyrs Brigade, the armed wing of the Fatah Movement
• Iraq President Suggests Amnesty For Turkey's Kurdish Rebels REF/RL 24 Oct 2005 -- Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, in an interview published today, has suggested that Ankara give a general amnesty to Turkey's Kurdish PKK rebels to end fighting in southwest Turkey.

News Reports

• PRESS CONFERENCE ON SOUTH ASIA EARTHQUAKE RELIEF EFFORTS United Nations 24 Oct 2005
• USAID Announces New Office of Military Affairs Washington File 24 Oct 2005 -- The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is building a partnership with the U.S. military to improve coordination in humanitarian relief efforts.

• Mehlis Report 'Is Deeply Troubling,' Rice Says AFPS 24 Oct 2005 -- A U. N. investigative report that points to Syrian complicity in the murder of a former senior Lebanese official "is deeply troubling," the United States' top diplomat said Oct. 21.
• Thousands Protest in Damascus Against UN Assassination Report VOA 24 Oct 2005 -- Thousands of Syrians took to the streets of Damascus Monday to protest a U.N. probe they said unfairly blames the government for the killing of Lebanese former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.

• Boeing, Lockheed Martin Continue Work Toward Launch Alliance Approval Lockheed Martin 24 Oct 2005 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and Lockheed Martin Corporation [NYSE: LMT] announced today that they have received a Second Request for information from the Federal Trade Commission relating to their filing pursuant to the Hart-Scott-Rodino Anti-Trust Act regarding the formation of the United Launch Alliance, LLC (ULA).